Magazine for screws

ABSTRACT

A screw magazine includes a form-stiff framework ( 1 ) having a front side ( 4 ) and a back side ( 5 ) between which a plurality of mutually spaced-apart bores ( 10 ) extend, each one of which is delimited by an endless limiting wall ( 11 ) of a resilient, demolishable nature and of which at least some house screws ( 12 ) located at a distance from each other. The length of the individual screw ( 12 ) is smaller than the depth of the framework ( 1 ) counted as the distance between the front and back sides ( 4, 5 ), a free tip of the individual screw being located at a certain distance inside the back side of the framework, at the same time as an end surface on the head of the individual screw ( 12 ) is situated in flush with the front side ( 4 ) of the framework.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a magazine for screws of the type thatincludes a shank with a thread and a head at one end of the shank,including a form-stiff framework with a front side and a back side,between which a plurality of mutually spaced-apart bores extend, whichindividually are delimited by an endless limiting wall of a resilient,demolishable nature, and of which at least certain house screws locatedat a distance from each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In industries and crafts as well as for domestic use, self-drillingscrews for general fastening purposes are used in an increasingextension. Such screws include a specially designed tip in combinationwith a thin, sharp thread which entails that the screw may be fastenedin existing work pieces without pre-drilled holes. The driving of thescrews usually takes place by means of a drilling screwdriver, therotatable tool (commonly denominated “bit”) of which is applied in amost often cruciform seat in the head of the screw. Like conventional,non-self-drilling screws, screws of this type are usually storedhiggledy-piggledy in capsules or storage boxes, e.g. of cardboard. Thismeans that the screws have to be picked up one by one, either directlyout of the storage box or possibly out of a pocket on the user'sclothing so as to be individually applied by hand on the rotatable toolof the drilling screw driver. This tool may be magnetized per se inorder to facilitate application and retention of the screws.Nevertheless, such manual application of the individual screws is atroublesome and delaying work. A special problem is inherent inself-drilling screws inasmuch as the user has to hold and guide thescrew so that it is drawn into the work piece in the desired, usuallyperpendicular direction to the surface of the work piece without the aidof a pre-drilled hole. Rather frequently, it therefore happens that thescrew sways when the driving operation should be initiated. This issomething which additionally delays and makes the work in question moredifficult.

A screw magazine of the initially generally mentioned kind is previouslyknown by AT 378045. In this case, the screw magazine is tape-shaped andintended to co-operate with a feeding device belonging to a drillingmachine or a drilling screwdriver, which feeding device includes twoposition-determining fences. These fences have the purpose of, at axialfeed of the screw-carrying tape, providing for that the individual screwin the drawing in position thereof is oriented perpendicularly to thematerial, the magazine tape having the purpose of guiding the screwslaterally. For this purpose, the screws in the known magazine areconsiderably longer than the depth of the magazine tape, the individualscrew protruding from the front side as well as the back side of themagazine tape. In other words, the use of such screw magazines islimited to only such drilling screwdrivers including a feeding devicefor the feed of the screw-carrying tape.

OBJECTS AND FEATURES OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims at obviating the abovementioned shortcomingof the previously known screw magazine and at providing an improvedscrew magazine. Therefore, a primary object of the invention is toprovide a screw magazine which may be handled manually in the sense thatthe same does not need to co-operate with particular feeding devices, atwhich the magazine should be able to be stored in a structured way, forinstance in articles of clothing, and if required taken out by the userto directly be applied against the material in which a screw is to befastened. Another object is to provide a structurally simple magazine,which may be manufactured at low cost.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE APPENDED DRAWINGS IN THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screw-housing magazine according tothe invention, the magazine being visualised together with parts of aconventional drilling screw driver,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-section through the screw magazine accordingto FIG. 1, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an alternative embodiment of themagazine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

In FIGS. 1 and 2, which illustrate a first embodiment of the invention,1 generally designates a magazine, while 2 designates a partiallyoutlined drilling screw driver or drilling machine. In this machine, aso-called bit 3 constituting a replaceable, rotatable tool by means ofwhich screws may be set in rotation, is included.

The magazine 1 consists of a framework, which in the example has aparallelepipedical basic shape. Thus, the framework has a plane frontside 4, which is parallel to an opposite, plane back side 5. Inaddition, the framework has two opposite, plane and parallel long sidesurfaces 6, 7 as well as two opposite end portions 8, 9. Between thefront side 4 and the back side 5, a plurality of mutually spaced-apartbores or holes 10 extend, each one of which being delimited by anendless limiting wall 11. In some of these bores 10, screws 12 arearranged.

In the embodiment shown, the individual screw 12 consists of aself-drilling screw of the type that in a traditional way includes ashank 13, a head 14 as well as a thread 16 extending backwards from atip 15, which thread in practice is thin and sharp. In the example, thehead 14 is cone-shaped and has a plane end surface 17 in which there isa cruciform seat 18 in which the tool 3 of the drilling screw driver maybe applied. It is axiomatic that the head 14 has a larger diameter thanthe shank 13.

As may be seen in FIG. 1, the magazine may advantageously be made of anumber of corrugated boards arranged side by side. A simple corrugatedboard consists of two outer, plane paper webs between which there is anundulated paper web, the crests of which are agglutinated against theinsides of the plane paper webs. Multilayer corrugated boards includetwo or more undulated paper webs which are internally agglutinatedagainst common, plane paper webs. The shown magazine may either be madeof simple corrugated boards which have been interconnected byagglutination or of one or more multilayer corrugated boards. In thecase the magazine is made of corrugated board, the limiting walls 11defining each individual bore 10 consist of a narrow portion of a planepaper web as well as a portion of a wave formation in the undulatedpaper web. By the fact that the limiting wall consists of comparativelythin paper, the wall becomes resilient and easy to demolish. However,together the various paper webs defining a large number of cavities,constitute a form-stiff and stable framework.

As may be seen in FIG. 2, the individual screw 13 is of a length beingsomewhat smaller than the height or depth of the magazine. When thescrew is applied into the appurtenant bore with the plane surface 17 ofthe screw head in flush with the front side 4, the tip 15 of the screwwill, therefore, be located inside the back side 5 at a certain distancetherefrom. Therefore, as long as the screw is stored, the tip will notprotrude from the back side. This is something which means that theplane back side 5 may be steadily pressed against a plane surface on thework piece in question. In this state, the head 14 does not protrudefrom the front side 4. This means that the screws do not risk to getstuck in various objects in the surroundings, e.g. in connection withstorage in a clothing pocket or the like.

The individual screw may be applied in the appurtenant bore in variousways. For instance, it is possible to fasten the screw in the bore, thethread 16 partially cutting into the limiting wall 11. When the screwtakes its final position in the bore, the upper portion of the limitingwall 11 has been pressed away by the cone-shaped head 14. By the factthat the material of the limiting wall has a certain elasticity, alsothe pressed-away portion of the limiting wall contributes to hold thescrew. Furthermore, the pressing-away of the upper portion of thelimiting wall brings about a centring of the rear end of the screw,which in combination with the centring effect of the thread 16 entailsthat the screw is located mainly exactly perpendicularly to the backside 5, which is to be pressed against the work piece.

It is also feasible to press in the screw axially in the appurtenantbore, the surrounding, resilient wall 11 being possible to apply with aneasy press fit against the thread of the screw.

In practice, both the bores housing the screws and the bores being emptymay be open at opposite ends, as is shown in the drawings. However, itis also feasible to seal the bores, e.g. by means of a thin plasticfilm, which covers the back side and/or the front side of the magazinewith the purpose of counteracting contamination of the interior of themagazine.

In the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality oflongitudinal rows of screws 12 are arranged beside each other. Moreprecisely, the magazine includes three longitudinal rows of screws, thescrews being arranged in transverse rows of three screws. Thesetransverse rows of screws extend perpendicularly to the long sidesurfaces of the magazine. On both sides of the longitudinal rows ofscrews, there are rows of empty bores 10. In an analogous way, there isalso at least one empty bore 10 between adjacent screws in one and thesame longitudinal row. This means that the individual screw is from allsides surrounded by a number of empty bores in which the comparativelythick screw head 14 may be housed at storage as well as move inconnection with the feeding out of the screw from the magazine.

It should be pointed out that the number of screws in the longitudinalrows as well as the transverse rows may vary most considerably.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one of the twoopposite long side surfaces 6, 7 of the magazine is provided withmarkings 19, which display the axial position of the screws within themagazine. The lateral position of the individual screw has nosubstantial importance for self-drilling screws by the fact that thescrews in that case do not need to meet a pre-drilled hole. On the otherhand, it may be important to show the axial position of the screws sothat the screw, when being drawn in, will meet a scribed line or thelike on the work piece. Advantageously, the markings 19 may consist oflines extending perpendicularly to the back side of the magazine. It isalso possible to provide the outside of the magazine with various formsof printing, e.g. advertising printing.

THE FUNCTION AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

When the magazine is to be used, it is pressed with the plane back side5 thereof against the work piece in question. By the fact that this backside is plane, the magazine may in its entirety be held against the workpiece in a steady and reliable way. In doing so, the stored screws 12are fixed in a position where they extend perpendicularly to thepressing surface. When a separate, selected screw is to be fastened inthe work piece, the rotatable tool 3 of the drilling screw driver 2 isapplied into the screw head seat 18, and then the screw is set inrotation at the same time as it is manually pressed, at least initially,against the work piece. When the screw gets a foothold in the workpiece, it is drawn with a large force into the work piece, the screwbeing fed out of the magazine. In relation to the driving force, thelimiting wall 11, which surrounds the screw, exerts no appreciableresistance to feeding out. During the feeding out, the screw head 14will therefore break down the surrounding limiting wall 11 substantiallywithout resistance, as is clearly shown to the right in FIG. 2.

In this connection, it should be pointed out that conventional so-calledbits have a limited length, and therefore they are only suitable forshort, stored screws. Within the scope of the invention, the possibilityof manufacturing considerably longer bits than the conventional ones is,however, envisaged, more precisely with the purpose of enabling drivingof screws from a magazine without the chuck of the screw driverpenetrating into the magazine.

A substantial advantage of the screw magazine according to the inventionis that the rotatable tool, for instance a “bit”, which is used tofasten the screw may be brought to engagement with the screw head in asimple and fast way at the same time as the screw is automatically keptcontrolled in the desired driving-in direction. In addition, the screwsmay be stored in a well-arranged and tidy way in the magazine. Thismeans that many screws are quickly and easily accessed for the fasteningtool at the same time as all annoying work of applying the individualscrews to the fastening tool is eliminated. Furthermore, the magazinemay be stored in a smooth way, for instance in clothing pockets.

In FIG. 3, an alternative embodiment of a magazine is shown, whichincludes only one single longitudinal row of screws 12. Also in thiscase, the magazine is distinguished by the fact that rows of empty bores10 are arranged on both sides of a central row of bores in which screwsare stored. The limiting walls or paper webs surrounding the central rowof bores gives the magazine a width which is considerably larger thanthe width of only the central row of bores. This means that the backside of the magazine gets a width which is large enough for guaranteeinga firm pressing of the magazine against a work piece in spite of thefact that the magazine only includes one single, comparatively narrowrow of screws.

In practice, the magazine according to the invention may have a lengthwithin the range of 100–300 mm, and a width within the range of 10–50mm, the depth of the magazine varying depending on the length of thescrews in question.

FEASIBLE MODIFICATIONS OF THE INVENTION

The invention is not solely restricted to the embodiments described andshown in the drawings. Although corrugated board is preferred as astarting material for the production of the screw magazine according tothe invention, also other materials may be a possibility. It is, forinstance, possible to use a comparatively high-porous board of cellularplastic, in which the holes or bores for receipt of screws are formed.At the same time as the cellular plastic gives the magazineform-stiffness, the material in the individual limiting walls definingthe holes is easy to demolish. Also other materials are feasible. Thus,it is only crucial that the screws are mutually spaced-apart a certaindistance in the magazine at the same time as the limiting walls of theholes are possible to demolish or give way without substantialresistance in connection with the driving of the screws.

1. A screw-magazine having a front-side and a planar back-side inparallel therewith, a plurality of bores extended perpendicularlybetween said front- and back-sides, some of the bores housing screws ofthe type that includes a shank with a thread and a head at one end ofthe shank, said bores forming longitudinal rows arranged side by side,each of said bores being delimited by a respective one of plural endlesslimiting walls of demolishable nature, said walls interconnecting thelongitudinal rows of said bores in a form-stiff, parallelepipedicframework, wherein each of said bores adjacent to said screw-housingbores is an empty one of said bores.
 2. The screw-magazine of claim 1,wherein the longitudinal rows are made from boards of corrugated paperagglutinated together into the form-stiff framework.
 3. Thescrew-magazine of claim 1, wherein each said screw-housing bores is onall sides surrounded by the empty bores.
 4. The screw-magazine of claim1, wherein the head of said screws is larger than said bores so that arespective one of the limiting walls is pressed away by the screw's headupon feeding out a screw from the magazine.
 5. A screw-magazine,comprising: a form-stiff parallelepipedic framework of at least fourparallel endless walls that are each connected to adjacent said walls bya respective corrugated wall, said endless and corrugated walls being adeformable material and defining at least three longitudinal rows ofbores, said rows being arranged side-by-side, said bores being arrangedside-by-side and open at each end; and plural screws, each having a headand a threaded shank, in said bores in one of said rows that is betweentwo other ones of said rows, said head being larger than said bores sothat said endless and corrugated walls are deformed by said head whensaid screws are pushed through said bores.